Cleaner.



F. M. CASE.

ummm.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 2.6, 1910. 1,094,877. .Patented M1128, '1.914.

3 lBHEliTS--SHET 1.

A 4 ,a l. .95' ,9,

I zo

P. M. CASE.

GLEANEB.

APPLICATION P ILED SEPT. 26, 1910. 1,094,877. Patented Apr. 28, 1914 3SHEETS-SHEET 2.

ij/M.

y1:". M. CASE.

CLEANER.

APPLICATION Hmm sB1 T 2e, 1910.

1,094,877. Patented Apr. l28, 1914 3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

emmers n. case, or cnnvnmzm.

ostia CLEANER.

Specification of'Letteis Patent.

'Patented apr. 2s, i914.

Application led September, 1910. Serial No.

To all whom may concern.'

Be it known that I, FnANcrs M. CASE, a citizen of the United States,residing at Cleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Cleaners, of which thefollowing is a specication. i This invention relates broadly to devicesknown as suction sweepers or cleaners, and is particularly designed asan improvement over the construction set forth in my copendingapplication filed of even date herewith. y

The present invention relates articularly to an adjustable hood carryingthe brush and arranged in a manner such that it may be raised or loweredfreely to and from the surface operated upon without adjusting theforward rollers of the device, thus rendering the machine easilyadjustable in point of the distance of the mouth of the hood from thesurface operated upon.

The invention also resides in certain details of constructionhereinafter set forth in the following description, drawings and claims.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of the device,showing the carpet or fabric as it is drawnup from the floor; Fig. 2 isa longitudinal vertical section; Fig. 3 is a section upon the line 3-3of Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a bottom plan view; Fig. 5 is a View showing themanner of holding the end of the discharge receptacle or bag; Fig. 6 isa sectional view of one of the castors showing the handle journaled onthe castor socket; Fig. 7 is a front elevation of the raising devicesecured to the hood and to the casing but with the nut and clampingplate removed; Fig. 8 is a top plan view of the guiding member securedto the casing; Fig. 9 is a bottom plan view of the clamping plate; andFig. 10 is a side elevation of the clamping screw and clamping plate.

In carrying out the invention any preferred form and construction ofparts may be employed so long as they possess the necessarycharacteristics, -but I have shown one form in the drawings which ishighly eective in operation, and in such embodiment the device comprisesa main casing 1 in the form of a fan or blower scroll, and this casinghas at the rear thereof a neck portion 2 connected with an enlargeddischarge member 3. The casing 1 is further` provided with an opening 4with a finished surface 5 about the same for receiving the supportingring 6 in the u er part vof which is mounted the motor 7. he rin 6 isprovided witha downwardly rejecting flange 3 which 1s adapted to passtiirough the opening 4 and to extend iiush with and preferface of thecasing, as shown in Fig. 2, and for a purpose which will be describedlater. The motor 7 is provided with a vertically disposed shaft 9 havingsecured to it by a set screw 9 the hub 10 of a fan disk 11 provided withsuitable bladesz-/lZVj-'onits'underably slightly beyond the upper innersurranged in a manner such that when it is in place the edge of the disk11 is close to the lower edge of the flange 8, while the periphery ofthe disk extends to a point corresponding substantially with the outerperiphery of the flange 8. The object of this arrangement is to causethe air above the disk to be discharged into the fan casing or scroll,so that the lodging of dirt above the disk is prevented. The motor shaft9 is further provided with a driving pulley 13 for a purpose to bedescribed. The shaft 9, the hub 10 and the pulley- 13 extend below thebottom of the main casing and through an openin 14 therein.

The main casing at the rear is supported upon two castors 15-15, each ofwhich is provided with a shank 16 extending up into a suitable socketmember 17 secured to the side of the casing and having anupwardlyextending trunnion member 18 provided with a laterally extending pin 19for engagement in an opening 19 in the corresponding end of a forkedhandle member 20 which is provided with a socket 21 for receiving ahandle 22. The socket member 21 is provided with a pair of ears 23 forreceiving a link 24 swiveled in the end of a link 25 provided with' asea-t 26 for receiving the ears 23 when the handle is in its lowerposition. The link 25 is pivoted upon a pin 25 mounted inl ears 27secured to the discharge member 3 of the casing. The forward end of themain casing is supported upon rubber-tired wheels or rollers 28 mountedupon pins 29 each secured in the sides of a housing 30 forming a part ofthe main casing 1. These wheels or rollers support the casing of thedevice and hold .itin a fixed position with respect to the floor at alltimes.

The operation of the motor causes the rof- Y p noce-,sra

tation ling created through the opening i4 and a discharge through thedischarge member 3',

- and in this instancethe suction is utilized in conjunction with arbrush for bringing about the cleaning operation, and this mechanism willnow be described, the device for receiving-the discharge being describedlater.

Secured to a flange 3l, which is integral with the lower portion of themain casing and is substantially ll-shaped in form, is an inlet housin32 which conforms to the conliguration ol' the dang-e and is providedwith an opening 33 in its bottom which is adapted to be lchased by aplate 34 held in place by means of a latch Yspring 35 which engagesabovethe bottom surface of .the inlet housingA after-having been niet passedthrough notches or openings 36 in the bottom of the inlet housing, asshown 1- in liig. 4. lihe latch spring 35 is manipu f lated by a.hnurled finger piece 35 having ,a portion entending through an openingin the cover plate and secured in the spring.

The housing is still further provided with an opening 3'?, as shown inFig. 3, in its forward end, and the lower edge of the loottom of theinlet housing at this opening is curved at 36 for receiving acorresponding curved portion 39 of a suction-.hood shanlr 46 whichtapers outward in alateral direction from the inlet housing and forms apart of a suction hood 41 which is arranged besubstantially rectangularopening or mouth l 43 in the bottom\thereof, Aas shown in Fig. 1 4, andthe edge of the casing about this opening is ,enlargedto form datsurfaces 44. Q At each end the hood isprovided with'a ver'- w ticallydisposed slot 45 which receives a slide or bloolr'46. -Each of theseblocks '46 y is provided ,with a flange 47 entendin over I onto the endofthe suction hood an` with yond'the front edge of the main casing i.-

l'his housing is pivoted so as to swing n and down at its' outer end,and this pivot is formed. by suitable screws 42 which lpass looselythrough the sides of the inlet housing and into 'bosses 42 in the sidewalls of the hood shank.

The suction hood 4l is provided with a a vertically disposed slot 48 forreceiving a brush shaft 49.. This shaftA is held in place at the endsofthe hood by means of. suitable nuts 50 upon the enudsofthe shaft.Mounted on the shaft 49Yis'a rotary brush 5l rovided at one side ofitscenter with ka p ey 52 which isadapted to be driven by a belt 53 fromthe pulley 13.` The movement of the hood upon its pivot is for thepurpose of adjustingf-l the mouth of the hood to andA from the surfaceto be operated upon, as forj example, in case of sweeping doors thehoodj' is dropped close to the floor, while in swt-iep-` ing 'orcleaning carpets the hood is raised.

ofthe dan results ina= suction beso that the suction created by the fanwill raise the carpet fromthe door against the mouth of the hood whereit will be operated upon by the brush.

ln order to hold the hood in any adjusted position suitable mechanism isprovided, and'it comprises a guide member 54- secured tothe forward endof' the main casing l and having a pair of upwardly extending danges 55which receive between them an arc-shaJ` ed .adjusting segment 56 whichis prefera ly integral with a base portion 5? secured to the hood. A-suitable fin er piece 58 is also arranged integral with t is base 57 andserves as a means for manually raising thehood, the segment 56 slidingbetween the dang-es 55 of the guiding member 54. The convexupper surfaceof the segment 56 is provided with serrations or transverse teeth 59which ooperate with a serrated bloch 60 which is provided with anopening 6l for the passage of the shank 62 of, a thumb screw 63 which isthreaded into the guiding member 54. By this arrange-'i4 ment ofserrated segment and block the hood may be held in any desired positionrelatige to the door.

The' discharge member 3 is provided with *l an Vannular dange 64 andwith -diametrically opposed ears 65, the latter having suitable1clamping screws 66 pivoted therein.

Rachi' of these vclamping screws is provided with a clamping nut 67. Theannular dange 64 is arranged at a slight distance from the outer edge 0fthe discharge member so that the latter may receive a ring 68 nii adirt-catching receptacle or bag 69 which -is .secured upon this ring atits edge so that a mouth is formed corresponding in size to the exteriorof the discharge member 3. This ring 68 at the mouth of. the dis# loop71 which` is passed over the handle before the receptacle is secured inlace.

- ln voperation the user adjusts 't e hood so that its mouth is 'at theproper distance 'from the :surface to 'be operated. upon and the motoris. started, 'when atmospheric air will beidrawn atthemouth of the hoodand discharge into the receptacle 69, all the dust andv dirt' beingVdrawn from the surface jroo los

'treated and being conveyed with the air into the receptacle.` Since thereceptacleis made of a fabric2 the air passes through and the dust anddlrt is collected wit the 'same from whence it may be discharged in anysuitable manner.

A suitable guard is provided for the brush and it comprises abar 72arranged near the` forward end of the suction hood on the inside and atthe inlet opening and having secured in it suitable fingers 73 extendingacross the inlet opening or mouth thereby preventing thesurface-covering from being drawn into the suction hood.

Having described my invention, I claim l. In a cleaner for surfacecoverings, a main casing, supporting means therefor, a suction hoodpivoted to the casing and in open communication therewith Aand pro'-jecting freely beyond all supporting means for the entire device, saidsuction hood being provided with a mouth having its edges in a singleplane substantially in parallelism with the surface covered and at adistance therefrom greater than the thickness of the surface covering,means for adjusting the said hood for coverings of different thicks ingwheels therefor, a housing secured nesses, means within the hood forvibrating the surface covering operated upon, and means for creating asuction within the casing and within said hood sufficient to suspend thesurface covering against said mouth.

2. In a cleaner, a main casing, supporting wheels therefor, a housingcarried by said casing and in open communication therewith, said housinghaving an inlet opening, a suction hood pivoted in the inlet opening insaid housin and inv open commumcationtherewith, sa-i hood having amouthfmeansfor holding said suction hood in any adjusted position, abrush mounted in ,said hood above the mouth therein, means for creatinga suction in the main casing and the suction hood, and means forrotating the brush.

3. In a cleaner, a main casing, supportto the underside of said casingand in open communication therewith and provided with an inlet openingin its side, a suction hood having a mouth and a hollow shank pivoted inthe inlet opening of said housing, said shank establishing communicationbetween the suction hood and the housing, a brush rotatably mounted insaid hood above the mouth, means for creating a suction within thecasing and within the hood, means for rotating said brush, and means forholding the hood in any adjusted position.

4. In a cleaner, a main casing, supporting wheels therefor, a housingsecured to the underside of sa1d casing and in open communicationtherewith and provided with an opening in its side, a suction hoodhaving a mouth and a hollow shank pivoted in said side opening of thehousing, said shank establishing communication between the suction hoodand the housing, a brush rotatably mounted in said hood above the mouththerein, means for creating a suction within the casing and? within thehood, means for rotating said brush, an arc-shaped arm carried by saidhood and provided with serrations, a guide for said arm carried by themainvcasing, a serrated block adapted to engage the seri-'ations of saidarm, .and suitable clamping means provided between the block and t eguide for holding the serrated parts in engagement.

5. In a cleaner, a main-casing provided with a discharge openingand aninlet opening in its bottom, a housing secured to the casing about saidinlet opening, said housin being provided with an opening in its si e, asuction hood having a ollow shank extending into the opening in saidhousing and pivotall mounted therein, pivotnpins connecting te housingand said shaa brush mounted in said suction hood, means for holding thesuction hood in any adjusted position, means for creating a suctionwithin the main casing and within the suction hood, and means forrotating said brush.

In testimony whereof I aix my signature in presence of two witnesses asfollows.

FRANCIS M. CASE.

Witnesses:

